Five consecutive victories have Barcelona sitting comfortably atop La Liga’s standings, but if they want to stay there then they can ill-afford to drop points in their away clash against Real Betis on Saturday afternoon.

Barcelona played one of their best games of the season midweek and defeated Atlético Madrid 3–1 at the Camp Nou. With Pedri and Raphinha back in the fold, Hansi Flick’s side is beginning to gel and will hope their early season woes are a thing of the past.

Real Betis will be a tough challenge, though. Manuel Pellegrini’s side are currently fifth on the table and are unbeaten in their last eight in all competitions. Coming off a victory in the city derby against Sevilla, Los Verdiblancos will be motivated to defeat Barcelona at home in La Liga for the first time since the 2007–08 season.

The game will be played at the Estadio La Cartuja given the renovation that are taking place at Betis’ home stadium. This means Barcelona will play their first match at La Cartuja since defeating Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final last April.

Here isSports Illustrated’s guide to this La Liga clash.

Real Betis vs. Barcelona Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Current Form (All Competitions)

Manuel Pellegrini’s side are riding high following their victory against bitter rivals Sevilla and will be boosted by the return of Antony after serving his one-match suspension in last weekend’s derby.

Still, Betis will be without a couple of key midfielders in Sofyan Amrabat and Isco, who injured themselves by colliding with each other, as well as former Barcelona defender Héctor Bellerín.

Even without Bellerin, two former Barça players will be eager to impress on Saturday. Marc Bartra will command Betis’s backline and Ez Abde could be a nightmare for Flick’s defense if they continue to grant plenty of space with their high line.

Former MLS standout Cucho Hernández has had a promising start to his second season in Spain and will lead the line at La Cartuja.

Real Betis predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Valles; Ruibal, Bartra, Natan, Gómez; Roca, Altamira; Antony, Fornals, Abde; Hernández.

The injuries to Dani Olmo and Fermín López will force Flick to deploy a player out of position to cover the attacking midfielder role. Raphinha emerges as a likely solution, with Marcus Rashford entering the lineup in his usual spot on the left wing.

In midfield, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong could play their first match together since El Clásico in late October, re-establishing their partnership in the heart of Barcelona’s midfield.

Gerard Martín’s recent impressive emergence as a center back earns him another start, offering Eric García, who’s played the most minutes of any player for the Catalans this season some well-earned rest.

Up front, Ferran Torres will likely lead the line following a pair of unconvincing performances from Robert Lewandowski.

Barcelona predicted lineup vs. Real Betis (4-2-3-1): García; Koundé, Cubarsí, Martín, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Raphinha, Rashford; Torres.

These two teams played an absolute banger of a match when Barcelona visited Real Betis a season ago. Given the current form of both sides, a very similar script could await for Saturday’s meeting.

Barcelona have plenty of firepower to harm Betis’ defensive unit, but their backline is equally susceptible to struggle against Pellegrini’s in-form attack.

The outcome of this game could very well depend on individual quality, with plenty of players on the pitch capable of producing a magical moment out of nowhere.

In the end, Barcelona could very well escape with the three points in an absolute nail-biter that may even be decided in the dying minutes.

Prediction: Real Betis 2–3 Barcelona

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